That Fateful Day
by Nightmares.Obscenities.'96
Summary: Annabel Lee Wayne came with a mission; to help restore Gotham to prosperity. There was only one problem: three powerful men stood in the way of her mission. Those men had the power to break her, destroy her, or drive her into insanity. Will they break this woman? Will she let herself be broken by Gotham's most intimidating, fearless criminals? Bane, Joker, Bruce, and Scarecrow
1. Family Surprises

Hi everyone!

This is my very first serious story on this site, so please please please review! :D

Chapter One: Family Surprises

_Life always tends to surprise you, doesn't it? _The noises of the busy city streets filled my ears; the talking people, car horns, the birds chirping, everything. "How do people do this every day?" I asked my taxi driver, tucking a piece of my light brown hair behind my ear.

"You're obviously not from around here, are you?" he asked in a voice I could've sworn I'd heard from somewhere before. His piercing blue eyes bore into me from the front seat mirror, sending a light shiver down my spine.

"Technically, yes. I was born here, but I was taken away shortly after." I confessed.

"What do you mean, taken? That sounds highly…intriguing." He said with a pause, again looking my way, this time slightly turning his head towards me.

"Well, my birth wasn't really supposed to happen."

"You were a surprise that mommy and daddy couldn't handle?"

_Why am I telling this guy my life's story? This seems a bit fishy. _"It's not exactly that simple, but that's another story for another time. It's a little much to talk to a random cabbie about, you know?" I exhaled deeply, trying to control the memories running rampant through my mind.

"I completely understand! It sounds like you have a lot on your mind…"

He began searching through his driver's compartment, slowly coming to a stop at a red light. I slightly tilted my head in confusion, my light blue eyes scanning his motions with interest. Finally he found what he was searching for, pulling out a small, crinkled piece of notebook paper and a pen. He grabbed my wrist, causing me to gasp. "It's okay, just open your hand." He chuckled, making me blush as I took the paper and pen from him. "Write down this number; 492-351-9701. That's my cellular number."

"Why are you giving me your number, mister..?"

"Not Mister, Doctor. My name is Dr. Johnathan Crane. I'm a licensed psychologist, and I believe I can help you with your thoughts." He said, completely turning to me with a smile, before looking back at the road. I smiled, writing down the information.  
"Thank you so much! You really don't have to do this-"

"Of course I do! Helping people is my job, you know. Consider this a friendly favor." He replied.

"Why are you a cabbie when you have such a fancy other job, Doctor?" I asked, my curiosity peaking.

"Times are getting hard, and I needed a way to make some quick money, so here I am." He smiled. "Any other questions for me?"

_Why is your voice so familiar to me? _"Not particularly, no. I'm fine for now." I smiled back at him.

"Well okay then. So, where was it you needed to go, miss..?"

"It's Miss Walker, Annabel Walker. I need to go to Wayne Manor, please. I trust you know the address?"

"Wayne Manor? What business do you have going there? Bruce isn't in the spotlight nowadays; he mostly hides in like a shut in. It's quite pathetic really, with how great he used to be." Crane said in a condescending tone.

"Let's just say we're close." I said, crossing my fingers.

_If only he knew how close we really are.._

We rode the rest of the way in silence, although I knew my not telling Crane my true purpose for being here was eating away at him.

_Well, curiosity killed the cat._

"Here we are, Miss Annabel." Johnathan said, turning around with a smile on his face.

"Thank you so much, Johnathan." I smiled back, taking my bag in hand. "How much will that be?"

"For you, free of charge. Consider it another friendly favor." He said, shaking my free hand.

"Are you sure? I have plenty of money!" I asked, opening my bag to get my wallet.

"No! Don't pay. You're fine. Just be sure to call that number sometime soon. I'd love to get inside your head." He smirked, his eyes boring into me.

"Well, thank you. See you soon!" I blushed, stepping out of the taxi and making my way up the extensive steps of Wayne Manor. I saw a tiny dust trail follow the taxi as Crane drove away, my mind swirling with all of my thoughts. I looked up at the leviathan of a building before me, utterly amazed. "How can one person live here all alone? Unless he married?" I muttered, looking at the aged brick. Gargoyles hung at the pillars, creating a menacing feeling to the place, but that didn't deter me. I couldn't let a few stone creatures and a gigantic mansion intimidate me. _I can't believe I'm actually here, after all these years. What's he like? Will he even believe me? _I took a deep breath, trying to ward away my feelings of nausea as I took a hold of the door knocker, exhaling before knocking a few times. _Oh God, what if no one's here? I'd have to do all of this over again? _

Thankfully someone came to the door, making me jump and clutch my bag. As soon as the door opened, both I and the other person inside were speechless.

"Alfred?" I gasped.

"Miss..Wayne?" He responded, both of us looking at each other deeply.

All of a sudden, he gave me a huge hug, which I returned, bringing tears to my eyes.

"It's been too long, old friend." I smiled, letting a tear drop as I backed away.

"What are you doing here after all of these years?"

"I thought it was time for me to be back here, is all. I've heard about all of the stuff that's happened here over the year, and thought Bruce may use some help."

"Bruce definitely does need help, very badly. Let me take your bag and I'll tell you everything."

After Alfred took my bag, we walked inside the mansion, everything catching my attention as we walked through its halls. Massive statues and beautiful artwork caught my eye, wondering but knowing how Bruce and I turned out so differently.

_This place is absolutely amazing. How could Brucey have such great taste? _

"A lot has changed since you've last been here, Annabel. This city isn't as great and marvelous as it used to be, in the days of the previous Waynes." Alfred confessed, taking a shaky exhale.

"Oh, them. How are they? I hadn't felt like I should contact them all these years, after everything that happened."

"I completely understand where you're coming from, Miss Wayne, but it may be a bit too late to contact them now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, both Mr. and Mrs. Wayne were murdered after a theatre performance in an alley, leaving Bruce to become an orphan. This was about four years after you left us, so you wouldn't have even have been able to confront them anyway."

I saw a small twinkle in his eye and a little bit of water well up. "Oh my gosh, Alfred, I am so sorry! How did Bruce take it?" I wondered, touching my hand to his.

"Not well, I'm afraid. He had a rough childhood. I went from being his servant to being a fatherly figure to him; which was certainly not easy. But we survived, and Wayne Enterprises was booming in the years of Bruce's youth." Alfred continued, holding my hand as we walked down the extensive halls of Bruce's mansion.

"What happened after that? Did Bruce ever marry?"

"Almost. He almost married a young woman named Rachel Dawes." He smiled at that statement, suddenly halting, caught up in memories.

_Apparently this woman was someone he liked?_

"Miss Dawes was, well, perfect. She was a great match for Bruce."

"Why didn't they get married then?"

Alfred took a deep breath, perhaps trying to figure out how to explain. "Well, things just didn't work out. It was for the best anyway, I guess."

"Where is this woman now? Are she and Bruce still friends?" I pondered, now getting curious about this mystery woman. _Will I ever meet her?_

"She's dead." He said, closing his eyes.

"Oh dear! What happened to her?"

"That story is long and complicated, but the shorter version was she was kidnapped by this rogue madman, and he killed her. Sad, but true. Her death was probably the hardest for Bruce to come to terms with." He opened his eyes, looking back into my curious eyes.

"How did he react to her death?"

"He's basically become a recluse shut in. He doesn't leave this house, and he never takes any visitors. You're very lucky I'm letting you in. He wouldn't even let his closest friends visit. That's when Wayne Enterprises took a nosedive. Ever since then, he's been so depressed that he couldn't think of anything else, and taking control of the company was not in anyone else's power."

"Oh gosh. Well, let's not waste any time. I'm excited to see him after all of these years. I mean, I barely remember him, and yet I feel like I've known him forever. I was always hearing about him on the news back in New York State. I always smiled, thinking he turned out absolutely perfectly, that nothing bad could've happened to the family. I guess I was wrong then." I took a deep breath and heard a small noise. "What's that noise? It sounds like.."

"A piano." Alfred finished for me.

"Oh, Brucey got into the piano." I smiled, quieting so I could listen.

"Yes. Master Wayne has played a lot lately, considering the circumstances. He's had a lot more time now to learn."

We went up to a huge, crisp white room with big open windows and rows upon rows of books all along the walls. A large crystal chandelier dangled above the ceiling, letting an array of different colors bounce all over the room to the center, and a giant black piano rested in the corner. A man sat at the piano, playing what sounded like "Beethoven's Piano Concerto 5", the wondrous melody travelling across the room. We entered silently, careful not to disturb the piano playing man. I walked closer to him, keeping my distance, until he was finished playing. The last resounding note rung, keeping its place in the air, letting its presence fill the room.

"That was beautiful, Bruce." I smiled, holding my breath. The man whipped his head around, abruptly leaving his seat, staring at me.

"Who are you? Alfred, who is this woman, and why is she in here?" He demanded, holding his glare at the both of us.

My breath hitched in my throat, catching me off guard. _Oh dear God, I knew he'd act like this!_

"Let the young woman explain, Master Wayne." Alfred replied, setting my bag down on the floor.

He took a few steps towards me until he was only a few inches away from me. His brown eyes glared into my blue ones, and his now shaggy brown hair lightly touched his shoulders as he towered over me. A stern expression clouded his face, a cowl replacing the smile I'd seen seconds earlier while he played.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Who are you, how did you know my name, and what are you doing in my house?"

I took a deep breath, sorting my words out carefully. "My name is Annabel Lee Walker, but I assume I should be going by Wayne now."

"Why would you use my last name? What the hell is this?"

I took a deep breath in, and lightly exhaled, trying to keep calm. "Bruce, I'm…I'm your sister."


	2. Unraveling Secrets

Chapter Two: Unraveling Secrets

Bruce stared at my incredulously for a second, then backed away with a light, disbelieving chuckle. "Alfred, I think I've heard enough. Please get this crazy woman out of my house." He commanded, enjoying his mirth.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Master Wayne. She's telling you the truth. Just listen to her for a second." Alfred denied Bruce for the first time in years, taking Annabel's side.

"What the hell is this? She can't possibly be my sister. I would've known if mom and dad had another child."

"Not exactly. Mom and your dad didn't have another kid. Your mom did, but your dad didn't have anything to do with my birth. I'm. I'm sorry Bruce, but your mom had an affair with my dad." I told him, standing beside Alfred, lightly holding his hand for support. _I hope he believes me._

Bruce stood still for a second, looking at me with disbelieving eyes, then clenched his fists tightly. "My mother would NEVER betray my father's trust like that, and you damn well know it Alfred. Now I suggest you get this woman out of my house before I do myself." He seethed, giving me death glares. I could see his nails puncturing his palms in anger and trembled. "I can't have this, this bitch, spreading lies about my mother. My mother was a gracious woman, high in society. She would NEVER do that to my father and betray both him and myself by having sex with someone else. And she surely wouldn't have been so careless as to have gotten pregnant either, especially not on a one night stand like you're suggesting. Now, get out. NOW." He demanded, a tiny drop of blood splashing on the floor from his hand. I jumped slightly at his harsh tone, feeling despair. _I guess I have to go home now..._

I started walking towards the door, but Alfred stopped me, giving me a short look before turning back to Bruce.

"Master Wayne…It pains me greatly to say this, but she's telling the truth. Your mother often came to me, telling me about how her and your father fought night after night. Eventually, the news changed from your father to another man, James Walker. Your mother seemed to have fallen head over heels for this man, and after a few months of telling me about having casual dinners with him, she told me that she messed up. She fell in love with this man, and slept with him. More than once, Master Wayne. She told me she slept with him for a few weeks, although the exact number of times she had she never told me. Then she showed up pregnant." Alfred paused, taking a shaky breath, before continuing.

"She was as surprised by it as your father was, and he was seething with anger. He even threatened divorcing her, but he never did. He couldn't bear losing your mother, even after she had done this to him. They played the charade of being parents to Annabel for the nine months she was pregnant, and then automatically adopted her out after her birth. You were about one and a half or so at this time, so you never remembered her, or your mother being pregnant. Or you may have simply forgotten about it. They never kept records of Annabel's birth, and even went out of their way to pay her doctor's into silence after the birth. They couldn't possibly let this get out into the media, or else the Waynes' reputation would've been tarnished forever. They couldn't let that affect you, so they sent her away. Your mother wrote to her guardians often, and got pictures of her growing child, which she would automatically burn after getting. After she was murdered, I continued to check up on Annabel, even visiting her a few times. I felt she needed to know about her mother, and the situation she was born into.

"None of this is any fault of Annabel's, so if you need to place blame with anyone here, Master Wayne, it's me. Don't deny Annabel the chance to meet her older brother because of what happened. Please." Alfred finished, holding Bruce's gaze. Bruce's face went from seething to almost destroyed as Alfred told him the story, sitting back down on the piano stool for support. He looked down at the ground, not able to look at either of us, and put his head in his hands. _Oh no, poor Bruce..._

I gave Alfred a short glance, then went over and sat down next to Bruce, lightly laying my hand down on his shoulder. "Bruce…I'm so sorry this happened, but Alfred's right. I wanted to finally meet you, and help restore Gotham to prosperity. I thought I could help." I said.

Bruce lifted his head up, looking at me with sad eyes. "I, I don't know how to even react."

"Here, let me show you my papers to prove to you that everything is true." I went over to my bag and retrieved a folder filled with papers. I went back over to him, my heels clicking on the marble floors being the only sound in the room. I sat back down, handing Bruce my folder. He flipped through the papers, seeing my birth certificate, DNA tests with my father and his, pictures of me and mom, and letters she wrote to my adopted family. There were even pictures of me and Alfred, and letters that I eventually started writing him, and his responses. He gave the folder back to me after a few minutes with shaky hands, looking deep into my eyes.

Suddenly he gave me a huge hug, which I returned in surprise. _Wow, I didn't expect that._

"I guess my mother, or rather our mother, wasn't as great as I thought she was." He said, his words echoing through my head.

"That isn't true, Bruce. She was still an amazing woman: she was just caught in an unhappy marriage that she couldn't end. That neither of them could end, really. At least she gave birth to a wonderful son like you." I said, feeling him hug me tighter, then pull away. His eyes reflected sadness, but also curiosity.

It took him a few minutes to speak again. "What exactly did you mean by helping me out?" he asked.

"I saw trials this famous Harvey Dent did, and got inspired to come here after his death. I looked up to him all throughout law school, and made sure I was a great prosecutor. I've always wanted to make a difference, and Gotham is the perfect place to do that. We all have to admit Gotham isn't exactly at its pinnacle, and I want to bring it back. I think I could do a great job putting the criminals and scumbags away, cleaning up Gotham's streets." I said with a smile, waiting for his approval.

He looked at me curiously for a second, slightly tilting his head. "How experienced are you?"

"I've handled fifteen murder cases, two kidnappings, and a few bank robberies, all of which I've convicted the defendants. You can see my files if you want." I replied triumphantly, feeling a little bit showy.

He pondered that for a second. "Let's have Alfred show you to your room, then I'll take you out into the city for a nice dinner. My treat."

"Are you sure? I figured I was staying at a hotel or something before getting an apartment."

"Why would you get an apartment when you could just live here with me?"

"I figured you wouldn't want me here."

He laughed, taking my hand in his and standing up with me. "Trust me, I do. Now, let's find you a room."

I smiled to Alfred, who smiled back, taking my bag and walking out of the room, us following him. _I can't believe he took it so well! I'm so excited! _I smiled to myself, glad to finally meet Bruce. _I've heard about him for so many years, and know I can finally get to know him. Bruce Wayne, my older brother. _I laughed inwardly, hardly conceiving the thought of having a billionaire brother. I took his hand and walked down the halls of Wayne Manor, ready to begin this new phase of my life with my older brother.

_**Meanwhile in Gotham City..**_

"Did you get the girl like we asked you to, Crane?" A powerful voice rang through the room, its echo resounding. The dimly lit room kept his colleagues masked in the shadows. The doctor sat on a flimsy wooden chair, facing his two "friends" under a flickering light.

"I didn't get the exact girl you wanted, but-"

"What do you mean you didn't get the girl?" his other colleague's clownish voice asked, as he stood up in anger, showing the doctor his face. His Glasgow grin was the only sign of happiness on his face, a large frown cutting off the smile. His grin and clownish makeup showed his identity: the infamous Joker.

"Hold on, friend. Let the man explain." Crane's other partner said, standing up as well, the metal on his facemask gleaming. His fists were clenched, showing his anger, but he wasn't as quick as the Joker to show it.

"Bane, Joker, I know I didn't follow your exact orders. But surely you'll like the woman I got a LOT better. Her name is Annabel Lee Walker; or shall we say, Wayne."

"What do you mean, Crane? Bruce Wayne doesn't have a sister you moron!" Joker argued, his anger peaking.

"Relax and let the man finish. I'm interested in his story now." Bane said, his interest replacing his anger. "Go on."

"As I was saying, this woman seems to be Gotham's famous playboy's sister. Well, half sister actually. You see, as I was driving I saw this girl that looked similarly to Bruce, and was intrigued enough to pick her up. She gave me a little bit of her story, and had me drive to Wayne Manors, which very much interested me. I dropped her off there, but not before giving her my name and number. As I shook her hand, I slipped a little microphone into her shirt sleeve, and listened as she went into the mansion. It seemed as though she knew Bruce's servant, and they eventually came across Bruce. She told him that their mother apparently fucked some other guy, and she was born. They adopted her out immediately, and never told Bruce about her. Now she's back, and she wants to follow Harvey Dent's footsteps, which certainly wouldn't sit well with us." He said, waiting for the other men's reactions, a beam of light catching his glasses.

The two men pondered what he said for a moment, letting it all sink in. Joker suddenly chuckled, a wicked grin splaying his lips. "So Brucey's mommy wasn't faithful then? That's great!" He laughed, holding his side.

"Joker! Let's be serious here. This GIRL wants to shut us down, possibly send us all back to Arkham. That CANNOT happen again!" Crane said in irritation, shooting up.

"I agree. We need to teach this girl a little lesson in messing with people she can't handle." Bane agreed, inwardly smirking. "How old is this Annabel woman?"

"I'm not certain, but I'd say she's in her early twenties, not much younger than Wayne. She's has high ambitions for such a weak woman." He smirked, remembering how she jumped when he so much as touched her. She would be an easy woman to break.

"I say we go for it. This could be a nice start after being locked up in Arkham for so long. Besides, we could have a little fun messing with this girl along the way." Joker laughed, smirking evilly.

"How will this all play out? We need a solid plan." Bane asked.

"Like I said earlier, I told the woman I'm a psychiatrist. I wanted to get inside her head, and gave her contact information for me. If she calls me, then we'll take it from there. If she doesn't, then we'll just have to use gold old fashioned force." Crane smirked, seeming content with himself. "But no one does anything stupid like taking her right away: agreed?"

"Agreed."


	3. Sharing Our Stories

Before you read this, please note that I'm switching from first person to third. I've found that it's MUCH easier writing that way, and you, the reader, will get a more enjoyable reading experience from it. I would just change the first two chapters as well, but that's too much work.

So happy reading!

"Your room will be right this way, Miss Wayne." Alfred said, leading her down a long hallway.

"Please just call me Annabel, Alfred. Miss Wayne is much too formal for me." Annabel replied, feeling something randomly scratch her arm. She wrinkled her forehead in confusion, trying to walk and see what was on her shirt sleeve at the same time. _Eh, fuck it. _She decided, leaving whatever was on her sleeve alone.

Alfred came to a halt at a large white door and opened it, welcoming Annabel to what she assumed was her new room. Her eyes slightly widened as she took in the luxurious suite; crisp, white wooden floors paved the space while light, sky blue paint adorned the walls. A huge bay window on the left side of the room left a little bench space in it, with moss green silk curtains melting down the wall. A row of large, open windows led her to her bed, a California King bed with white silk sheets and large, fluffy pillows of various pastel colors. A seemingly homemade quilt with Da Vinci's "Starry Night" painting designed on it laid across the large bed. A huge, white, fluffy rug laid in the middle of the room, and a large white dresser was across from the bed, a hanging mirror next to it. The other wall was basically a bookshelf, filled to the brim with books.

"Wow, this is beautiful!" Annabel gasped, taking in her new abode, as Alfred set her bag down beside her bed.

"Just go down the hall and into the first room on your right when you're ready. That's where Bruce will be." Alfred replied, smiling at Annabel's happiness. "Just be sure to knock first." With that, Alfred left the room to let Annabel unpack and get situated.

_This is all so…so…wow! I can't describe it any other way. _She smiled, unable to get her happy grin off her face, as she ran over to her new bed and jumped onto it. Giggling, she laid out on the bed, wrapping herself in her quilt. She began taking in all of the little aspects of the room, like the nightstand next to her bed and a stand up lamp on the other side. "This is all so amazing. I'll have to be sure to thank Bruce tonight." Annabel mumbled to herself, unwrapping herself from the quilt so she could unpack. Slowly she unpacked all of her belongings, putting them where she deemed fit. _And I thought there wouldn't be enough space for all of my clothes…_

After a few minutes of unpacking, she had put almost everything away. The only remaining items were a short black dress, black kitten heels, a gray cardigan, her brush, mascara, and red lipstick. She smiled as she started to change, happy with her outfit selection for the evening. She lifted her shirt over her head, feeling yet another scratch from whatever was in her sleeve. _Alright, what the hell is this? _She thought in agitation, ripping her shirt from her body to look in the sleeve. She saw a little black bud looking thing, completely unsure of what it was. "What the hell?" She muttered, bringing the thing up to her eye to get a closer look. She still couldn't tell what it was, so she crushed it and put it into a small garbage can.

Annabel proceeded to change into her sexy black dress, raising her self confidence through the roof. Her tiny kitten heels came on in a breeze, and her mascara and lipstick took no less than five minutes to apply. She ran a quick brush through her hair, humming "Enchanted" by Taylor Swift as she did so, her tiny voice echoing through the large room. She slightly giggled at this, continuing to hum the song as she retrieved her cardigan and her cell phone. A white piece of paper sat on her quilt, filling her with confusion. She picked it up and saw Jonathan's name and number on it.

"_**Just be sure to call that number sometime soon. I'd love to get inside your head."**_

Annabel pondered the number again, wondering whether or not she should call or not. _Why the hell not? He seemed like a nice guy, and he was kinda cute too. But what if he's a psychopath that just wants to use me then kill me? I'd never know! _She debated with herself. Calling him would give her one additional friend, but at the same time she ran risk of running into a freak.

After a minute or so of thinking, her desire to talk to Jon again won over, as she slowly dialed his number in her phone.

"_**Write down this number; 492-351-9701."**_

She thought again, but then just reassured herself that calling Jon couldn't possibly amount to anything bad. Slowly, the numbers appeared on the screen as she dialed them. "Four-nine-two…" she muttered, pausing for a second. _Why am I getting so damn nervous? Just dial the fucking number already Annabel! _

"Three-five-one-nine-seven-zero-one." She finished, hitting the call button. The dial tone echoed through the room, her frenzied heartbeat being the only noise she heard.

"…llo? Hello?" She heard from the other end and jumped.

"Hi, Jon? It's me, Annabel." She blurted out, blushing crimson.

"Oh, hi Annabel! Thanks for calling; for a while there I wasn't sure if you were going to." Jon chuckled into the receiver.

"I was going to, don't worry. So, Jon, I wanted to ask you about your offer to, in your words, get inside my head?" She asked, slightly giggling.

"Yes, what about that?"

"I wanted to know if I'd be able to talk to you sometime soon. Maybe meet up somewhere or something?"

"Yes, of course! Is there anywhere you'd be partial to meeting at?"

"Remember Jon, I'm new here? I don't know anywhere yet."

"Oh yes, that's right! Hmm…there's a small little coffee shop on the corner of 2nd Street and Cherrybrook Avenue. I believe it's called _That Coffee Shop_, I believe. You should meet me there tomorrow around noon maybe?"

"Yes, that'd be perfect! I'll be sure to make it there. I'll see you then, Jonathan!" She blushed, clutching her sides, grinning like crazy.

"That'd be lovely. Goodbye, Annabel." He responded, and by the way his voice sounded Annabel could just _tell_ he was smirking, which only made her blush harder.

"Bye!" she blurted out before hitting the end button, nearly dropping her phone. She let out a deep exhale, feeling herself get back to normal. _Why did talking to him make me feel that way? I barely know the man, and yet I feel butterflies around him. _Her confused thoughts swam in her head, not giving any answers. She checked her phone, noticing that it was nearly six. "Oh gosh! I can't let Bruce wait on me anymore; I should've been done a while ago!" She muttered to herself, running out of her room in a rush. _I hope Bruce didn't have to wait on me too long…_

_**Meanwhile in Gotham City…**_

"Bye!" he heard the probably blushing girl blurt out before hearing a click. The doctor chuckled to himself, wondering what had gotten into the girl. _It seems as if talking to me makes her nervous. I'll have to decide later whether that's good or not…_

"So, you and Miss Anna_bel _are going on a little _date _tomorrow, Jonathan?" Joker smirked at him, lightly chuckling.

"It won't be a date! It'll be one step forward in our plan of getting that girl. Her being nervous around me is just one more stroke of good luck." Jonathan replied, shaking his head at the impossible clown.

"Lighten up a little, Jonny! You can't take a joke?" The clown laughed, noticing Jon's sour expression.

"No. No I can't, _Joker_." He glared at him, plopping down on a beige colored couch, taking in his surroundings. Crisp white walls lined the walls and a dingy green carpet donned the floors. A small television sat across from the couch, and a small built in kitchen stood behind the couch. A small, always slightly dirty bathroom was a few feet away, and three additional doors led to three small bedrooms. _Welcome to Casa de Jon…_ He imagined himself saying to Annabel once his plan finally took its course.

"Settle down, _children_, please." Bane loudly sighed, emerging from the bathroom, wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants, huffing loudly. He had grown quickly tired of Jon and Joker's constant arguing. "Can you please act like adults for one second?"

"Adult? I think the way I act is _perfectly _fine. I don't know about Jon's sour attitude though." Joker smirked, sitting on the kitchen counter carelessly.

"Anyways," Bane continued, completely ignoring Joker, "how is your plan going? Did that Annabel girl call yet?"

"Actually she just did. We're meeting tomorrow at the little coffee shop right off 2nd Street and Cherrybrook Avenue."

"They're having a little _date_, Bane! Isn't that just _lovely_?" Joker snickered again.

Jon sent a glare his way, watching as Joker dissolved into a fit of giggles and cackling laughter. _Immature bastard…_

"She called already?" Bane asked, again ignoring Joker.

"Yes she did. It was pretty surprising really." Jon responded, pondering for himself why the girl had called him so quickly anyway.

"Face it Jonny-boy; the chick likes ya! Ha! Have you ever heard of an actual _woman_ liking Jon?" Joker cackled again, enjoying every moment of his teasing.

All he got as a response were harsh glares from Bane and Jonathan, showing him that they were not as easily amused as he was.

_Fine…fucking killjoys. _The clown thought, walking out of the room onto the balcony with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in hand.

_Thank God…_ Jon thought.

"So, are you getting her tomorrow?"

"No, of course not. I need to obtain her trust first, although it seems as though I may have a little already. Surprisingly, she seems to be a tiny bit infatuated with me, or at least laughingly nervous."

"So that's why Joker was making fun of you." Bane chuckled, now understanding why the clown had been so annoying about his phone call.

"Yes. For once that annoying bastard was right." Even Jon had to chuckle a little at that.

"So, what's your plan?"

"Talk to her."

"That's it? Just talk to her?" Bane stared at him incredulously. _Why can't he just take the girl? _

"Yes, chief, that's _it. _Like I said before, I need to gain her trust enough to come here herself. That'll make our job much easier. Plus, it'll be fun just fucking with her." He smirked, reveling in his plan. "With how weak this girl is, I'm sure to have her come to stay with us in maybe a week or so."

"If she's so weak, why don't you just take her now?"

"Messing with her will put some of her trust into me, and make getting her not only easier, but much more enjoyable. Trust me, this'll all pay off. There must be a bank you can rob or a bridge you can blow up in the meantime." Jon explained, getting up and going into his room, thinking over what he'd say to her tomorrow.

_Strange man, that doctor is…_

_Down the hall, first door on the right…_

Annabel hurriedly rushed to Bruce's door and knocked, standing impatiently.

"Come in!" She heard Bruce's voice from inside the room. She opened the door and stepped in, only quickly glancing around. Bruce had all brown furniture in the room, brown walls, and brown wooden floors. She sat on his brown linen sheets, laughing to herself. "You sure didn't get your style from mom…"

"No, I think this was all my dad's thinking." He chuckled from another room.

"Bruce? Where are you?" She looked around the room, seeing no sign of her brother.

"Bathroom!" He yelled. "I'll be out in a second!"

She sat down on his bed, being careful not to mess up her dress. _I was getting ready for half an hour, half of that time being spent on the phone with Jonathan! How long does this man take to get ready? _Her mind wandered, ultimately coming back to her phone call with Jonathan. _Why was talking to that man making me so nervous? _She let her head hit the mattress, lost in her thoughts. _Well, he was attractive, and so nice! His voice did sound familiar…I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not. Maybe I'm curious about where his voice came from? But even that wouldn't normally make me that nervous. I don't remember feeling that nervous over a man…_

Bruce emerged silently from the bathroom, dressed in a black tuxedo. He found his sister laying in his bed, looking slightly lost. _I wonder what she's thinking of… _"Hey, Annabel!" He laughed, jumping onto the bed next to her, watching as she jumped up in fright.

"Oh gosh, Bruce! Don't do that!" She laughed, the brother and sister holding their sides in laughter. After a few minutes of laughing, they emerged from the room hand in hand.

"You know, if you weren't my sister, you're the type of woman I'd usually hit on." Bruce smirked, watching as Annabel blushed.

"Bruce!" She gasped, looking at him in disbelief.

"What? You said you've heard about me. You haven't heard about my apparent _playboy _status?" He laughed. "Besides, you're beautiful. You look like mom." He smiled, reminiscing good memories with his mother.

"Thanks." She smiled, thinking back to the pictures Alfred had sent her of her mother, remembering a little bit of a resemblance. Bruce led her out the mansion door and down its many stairs to Alfred emerging from a black Lamborghini, bringing a look of shock to Annabel's face. "_This _is your car?" She gasped, staring at Bruce.

"One of them." Bruce rubbed in, watching as Annabel's face morphed into amazement. He chuckled at her face as he led her into the front seat of the car before settling into it for himself, revving up the ignition and leaving Wayne Manor in the distance before Annabel had a chance to buckle her seatbelt. After a few silent minutes, Bruce pulled in at one of his favorite restaurants, _Gotham City Diner_. Despite its name, the Diner had grown to be a fancy restaurant, typically serving wealthy patrons. "What do you think?" He eagerly asked Annabel as he helped her out of the car.

"This place seems really nice." She smiled, taking Bruce's hand and walking into the restaurant. Bruce seemed to draw a large crowd immediately upon walking in.

"Bruce Wayne? Is that really him?"

"I heard he was a shut in for years!"

"What happened to him; who is that woman?"

Annabel and Bruce couldn't help but chuckle at the staring people, trying to ignore them. _Bruce must be extremely famous around here, even though Wayne Enterprises is basically dead. _

"I'd like a table for two, please." Bruce asked a young woman in front of the restaurant, obviously an employee. Without even blinking a waiter came up to us, weaving us past groups of already waiting people.

"We don't need a reservation?"

"Annabel, you must not realize how big my name is around this town." Bruce chuckled at Annabel's naivety as they were seated at a nice booth in the back corner.

The waiter prattled on about the night's specials, but neither of them listened. After Annabel and Bruce each ordered their wines, the waiter left, leaving Bruce and Annabel by themselves.

"So, Annabel, tell me about yourself. You know so much about me, yet I know almost nothing about you." Bruce enquired, smiling brightly.

"Oh, I'm really not that interesting." She giggled.

"I'd beg to differ. About an hour ago you were telling me that you have the ability to follow the famous Harvey Dent's footsteps. You've got to be interesting. Besides, you're related to me aren't you?" Bruce laughed, turning his attention back to Annabel.

"Well, what exactly do you want to know?"

"Everything. I want to know all about my baby sister."

"Okay then." She giggled, lightly blushing. "For starters, we both have the same mom." Both of them had to laugh at that before she continued. "After mom gave birth to me, I was placed into an orphanage. I stayed there for about a month or so before I was adopted by Jackson and Mary Walker, where I got my last name from. They also gave me my middle name; they loved Edgar Allan Poe and saw the immediate chance to name me Annabel Lee, after his famous "Annabel Lee" poem. Anyways, my life was mostly sound at that point. I grew up how any normal baby should have, occasionally getting letters from mom or Alfred, which Jackson and Mary saved for when I was older and could actually read them. Usually they replied with my progress, and sometimes they read me the letters themselves.

"That all changed when I was five or so. Mary was killed in a car crash, and Jackson went basically insane. He couldn't take the thought of living without her, and he committed suicide. I'm still not sure how he did it, but frankly I wouldn't want to know. Luckily for me, a day or two later Alfred had come for one of our visits. Since mom and dad were probably not…alive anymore…at that point, he came to visit instead of her. He found Jackson, and saw no sign of Mary. He immediately took me with him, after helping me pack some of my things, and we went back to the orphanage. I guess I had good luck getting adopted out, because less than a month later I was adopted again, by this man. Henry." She stopped, immediately stiffening upon saying his name.

Before Bruce could enquire about the man, the waiter came again to take their orders. Bruce got his usual chicken parmesan, as well as Annabel. As the waiter took their orders, all he could think about was Annabel's sudden change of demeanor. _What did that Henry guy do to her? _

After the waiter left, the couple sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, until Bruce finally spoke up. "What did that Henry guy do to you?" he asked with deep concern in his eyes.

Annabel couldn't speak for a few minutes, just staring at the table. She finally took a deep breath, exhaled, and continued. "Henry did…just…bad things. I don't really want to talk about it at the moment."

"Okay, that's completely understandable."

"Thanks Bruce. But as soon as I was eighteen, I left _its _house and went on my own. I spent a few months on the streets, which wasn't really that bad considering the fact that we lived in upstate New York. _It_," she continued, her voice having a bitter tone whenever she mentioned Henry, "tried getting me back, but I just ran. I left a lot of meaningless possessions, only bringing what was necessary. After that, I went to a town in New Jersey for a few years, going to a college and law school with the money I saved over the years. I've always wanted to be a prosecutor, after what _he _did to me; I want all criminals to pay their dues.

"I always looked up to Harvey Dent throughout law school. I watched every single one of his amazing trials, and I vowed that one day I would be like him. When he died, I was heart broken, but I saw an opportunity to become Gotham's next Harvey Dent. I came here soon after, and here I am." She finished with a smile, waiting for Bruce's reaction.

"So, you want to be like Harvey?" he asked, curiosity lacing his tone.

"Yes, more than anything."

"Maybe there are some things you wouldn't want to model." Bruce replied, seeming to drift into memories.

_What does he mean? _"Well, to rephrase myself, I just want to put criminals away. Dent was the best at that, and I hope to do a job as good as he did." I felt it was best to not ask Bruce what he meant by not wanting me to model Dent completely, not wanting to pry.

A few minutes later their food came, both eating in silence, reflecting on the story Annabel told.

_I wonder what this Henry guy did to Annabel. It had to have been bad for her to not want to tell me. I also want to find out his last name; if he's alive, I want to teach him a lesson for messing with a Wayne… _Bruce thought, his food suddenly not tasting as good as he remembered.

"So, Bruce, what about you? What's my big brother been up to?" Annabel asked with a smile, not wanting more memories to come flooding back.

"Do I really seem that interesting?" Bruce asked with a chuckle.

"Bruce. You practically own this entire city, your house is larger than anything I've ever seen, and we drove here in a Lamborghini. Of course you're interesting!"

"Maybe I'm just a rich pig." Bruce smirked.

"God damnit Bruce!" Annabel laughed.

"Okay, okay. My story. I don't remember much about my early childhood, other than that one night." Bruce began with a pause, his features stiffening, before continuing.

"My parents and I went to a play that I can't even remember the name of. It reminded me of this time a few weeks ago that I got stuck in a well in our garden, and there were bats _everywhere_. They scratched and bit me, and made that awful screeching noise. It absolutely terrified me, and I'd been scared of bats ever since. Anyways, the play reminded me of that experience, and I couldn't bear it. I convinced my parents to leave with me, and we went out the only exit open; the alley exit. As we were walking out, a random hobo came up to us and tried robbing us. My parents wouldn't let him take anything, so he shot them. I stood there in shock, not moving an inch. After the guy realized my parents didn't even have anything other than our keys to take, he ran off, leaving me alone in that alley.

"I was young, so I felt no shame in crying my eyes out. Eventually an officer named Jim Gordon found me and brought me to the station to call Alfred. From that day on, Alfred became like a father to me, and Gordon stayed a good friend of mine. I basically just lived my childhood decently, with no real events bringing any strong memories. Until I met Rachel…" he paused, memories of the one that got away flooding back, taking a bite of food to not completely stare off into space.

"To keep a long story short, she was murdered, and now here we are. I stopped paying attention to the company, and just spent years to myself. Nothing much else happened up until this point." Bruce finished, obviously not wanting to talk anymore.

Annabel wasn't completely sure how to respond, prompting them to finish their dinner in silence. They paid and left a few minutes later, both dwelling on each others' stories. Bruce left obvious parts out, but for the most part his story was done. He still wondered about Annabel's mysteries, as Annabel pondered his.

_What else isn't being told?_


End file.
